INDIANAPOLIS, March 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Verizon Foundation is donating $50,000 to the American Red Cross to assist Hoosiers and others in the Midwest struck by the tornadoes that devastated families and businesses. The contribution is intended to provide immediate help to people who are dealing with the aftermath of clean-up efforts as officials continue to make damage assessments across the nation.
Verizon Wireless also continues to offer local assistance at seven area retail and premium agent stores so those affected can have Internet access to stay in touch with family, employers, and insurers as the cleanup continues. The Indiana and Kentucky store location assistance list can be found on Verizon's News Center website.
The company's Wireless Emergency Communications Center remains open in the heart of town near St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. The heated mobile trailer allows residents, emergency responders and media access to wireless communications via Verizon's 4G LTE network, speeding up the process to get critical updates to family and friends.
"When a disaster of this magnitude hits a community, the need for reliable communications is more important than ever," said John Granby, president - Indiana/ Kentucky/Michigan Region, Verizon Wireless, who joined other employees on the ground in Henryville this week. "We have committed our resources to efforts taking place in Henryville and will continue to provide the most reliable communications network in the nation to local individuals and businesses as they begin the process of rebuilding."
Verizon Wireless has also implemented a nationwide mobile giving program for customers looking for a simple way to contribute to relief and recovery efforts following the devastation in Southern Indiana as well as the rest of the Midwest and Southeast.
Customers can use their mobile phones to make $10 donations to a variety of nonprofit organizations responding to the tornado and the needs of local citizens in the aftermath, including American Red Cross Relief and The Salvation Army. Customers simply text the specific word to the organization's designated short code:
- American Red Cross Relief -- Text "REDCROSS" to 90999
- The Salvation Army -- Text "STORM" to 80888
- World Vision, Inc. -- Text "WV" to 20222
Verizon Wireless always waives text-messaging fees for disaster relief and 100 percent of each donation goes to the relief organization.
For Verizon Wireless customers who pay monthly bills, the $10 donations will appear on the next regular monthly bill. For customers using the company's prepaid services, the $10 donation will be taken from customers' prepaid balance.
About Verizon Wireless in Indiana
In Indiana, Verizon Wireless has more than 700 employees and 36 company-owned retail locations in 25 cities, including Anderson, Avon, Bloomington, Carmel, Clarksville, Columbus, Elkhart, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Greenwood, Indianapolis, Kokomo, Lafayette, Lawrence, Mishawaka, Merrillville, Muncie, Noblesville, Plainfield, Portage, Schererville, South Bend, Terre Haute, Valparaiso and Warsaw.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves nearly 108 million total wireless connections, including 92.2 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with nearly 82,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
SOURCE Verizon Wireless
